Volvo Maintenance Hints for 7xx/9xx - Bill Garland's Nuclear ...

much trouble.
● The spring pad retainer at the back of the caliper slides out. The pads can be removed.
● Place a hose on the bleeder; open the bleeder and at the same time squeeze the pistons back using
either adjustable pliers or a c-clamp. Use an old steel shim or tape on the jaws to prevent boot tears.
[Peter Penguin] If you have a tough time squeezing the piston back, place a wood 2x4 in the caliper
space and use a pry bar to lever the piston back. Tape a plastic zip-lock baggie onto the end of a 10"
plastic hose connected to the bleeder valve. Then it can spin around without any spillage and it's easy
to inspect it the old fluid for debris. If you have ABS brakes, place a hose clamp on the brake hose
above so old fluid is not pushed up the line.
To Install:
● Install anti-squeel shims or anti-squeel paste to back of pads. Apply brake grease to metal-to-metal
contact points between pad back and caliper.
● Install pads
● Insert anti-rattle spring clip. Make sure this is correctly oriented to hold the pads in place. If it isn't, the
pads will rattle.
● You can get the caliper lined up in the holes with pliers, and give it a gentle tap with a small hammer to
seat it in place.
● Lubricate the caliper guide pins and inspect the rubber boots.
● Slide the whole assembly over the rotor and insert the bolts back in place.
● Install wheel. See Anti-Corrosion Advice for tips on preventing stuck wheel bolts and wheels. Torque
wheel nuts correctly.
● Be sure to seat the pads correctly. This is very simple and there should be instructions with the pads.
Basically take the car up to 30 MPH and stop with even pressure. Repeat a few times.
Brake Lubricants:
[Tip from Brake and Front End Magazine, Nov 01] Use a synthetic moly or PAO-based lubricant for metal-tometal
contact points and a synthetic silicone brake lube for caliper assembly with rubber parts. Do not use
white lithium or chassis grease in brake work. In disc brakes, lubrication points include the caliper slides and
bushings, self-adjuster mechanisms on rear disc brakes with locking calipers, and the parking brake cables
and linkage. Brake grease can also be used to dampen vibrations between disc brake pads and caliper
pistons. But, it should not be applied between the pad and any noise suppression shims that may be used.
Use it on the back of a bare pad or between the pad shim and caliper. One place you never, ever want to
get any grease on is the friction surface of a brake lining — which is another reason for not using lowtemperature
or petroleum-based lubricants which can melt, run off and foul the linings. Grease-contaminated
shoes or pads will be grabby and usually cause a brake pull to one side. The only cure is to replace the
fouled linings with new ones. Cleaning is out of the question because solvents and cleaners can adversely
affect the linings, too. [Fitz Fitzgerald] The brake lube is intended to be used at every point where the brake
pad contacts another metal part,except the rotor:
● Apply a ring of lubricant to the back of the pad where the piston pushes against it.
● Apply lubricant to the spots where the edges of the metal backing plate touch the caliper housing
(clean these areas first, both on the caliper and the pad).
● Apply to the caliper glide pins.
Should any grease (even a greasy fingerprint) get on the pad or rotor material, be sure to clean it off
with brake cleaner.
Additional Replacement Tips:
[Inquiry:] Any hints on front/rear brake pad replacement? [Response:] Be sure to remove the sliding pins on
both front calipers. Inspect them and replace if worn or badly rust pitted. Otherwise, clean them, grease with
silicone based brake grease, and reinstall. Clean caliper sliding surfaces with small wire brush and blow